Is this what you call irony?

[ThomWV]

Ask an American kid of high-school age to point out Pakistan on a map of the world and chances are they won't be able to do it despite the fact that some number of them are likely to die or be maimed there. Ironically (?) if you were to put a map of the world in front of a Pakistani kid of high-school age and ask him to point out the place in the United States from which the Predator Drone (armed with a Hellfire missile that was going to kill him, his family, and half of his village) would be operated and launched he couldn't do it either.

One hides in a cave, the other hides in a bunker. You tell me what the difference is.

[seabeyond]

1. when you were a kid did you know where vietnam was, or grenada, or kuwait? nt

[atreides1]

3. I did

My father, step father, cousin, and an uncle were in Vietnam.

[HopeHoops]

5. Seems Reagan thought Grenada was a huge island in the Gulf of Mexico.

That was such a crock of shit.

[ThomWV]

8. When I was in high school I was very much aware of where Viet Nam was

I could not have picked Grenada out on a map, but in fact there are many maps drawn to a scale so large that they omit that tiny island - of course Reagan didn't have any problem finding it. Just think of the glory, the USA against a country who's entire population could easily be assembled in the very Pentagon that guided the attack against it. Kuwait had been a nation roughly 2 years when I started High School and to be honest about it I doubt that our maps were that recent, not that I could have pointed it out. I probably would have looked in the right part of the world first though. You see, they used to teach Geography, and I wasn't all that bad in school.

[seabeyond]

11. they still teach geography and do a fine damn job with it. better than what i saw they did in our

day. 6th grade is world geography and son is not only being taught worldwide but also the cultures, custom, terrain and religions of these countries. and it is being done in an academic, not judging manner. i have been really impressed

in my sons freshman human geography class they are doing the same only much more in depth.

my kids have always kicked ass in geography. they have always read world atlas's for fun. they have always had an interest in their world. and very well informed about social issues.

that isn't my point, but good of you to take that jab at our youth adn their education

your post was meant to be snarky and a stab at kids that was unjust and to a point ridiculous. to know the whys of pakistan at a young age would be the exceptional. not the norm. and foolish to expect.

[atreides1]

2. Well

I'm not so sure that the Pakistani wouldn't be able to show you on a map where the United States was!

However, I do believe that the American would probably point to Turkey or Texas.:D

[cali]

4. no, this is not a good example of irony.

[Lerkfish]

6. agreed. irony is something completely different. This, as stated is rather an example of

its an example of clueless children and bloodthirsty adults.

:shrug:

[AngryAmish]

7. agreed

Like that Alanis Morisette sonf "Ironic" that did not have a single example of irony in it.

[surrealAmerican]

10. It shows that our weakness in education is not limited to geography ...

... but it includes literary devices as well.

[Dogtown]

9. One country is wealthy and can afford

a decent educational system. But where's the profit in that?